Murder in the Graveyard Awaits

By Shari Randall AKA Meri Allen

It’s early October­ — the leaves are starting to mellow, the wind is crisp, and some people have already decorated their houses for Halloween.

 Halloween has morphed into a much bigger holiday than it was years ago when the celebration consisted of homemade costumes, pillowcases filled with candy extorted from neighbors, and a viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

 

Now you can get your child a light up T-Rex costume from Pottery Barn for $79 (and free shipping), a personalized velvet pumpkin-shaped treat basket for $36, or a 12 Ft. tall giant plastic lawn skeleton from the garden center for $229.

 

Times have changed, but one thing hasn’t. Everyone loves a good spooky story, and reading is cheap. If the book’s action is set in a graveyard, all the better.

 

That’s why I was thrilled to take part in the latest Destination Murders anthology Murder in the Graveyard. Not only was it a chance to stretch my writing muscles (writing to a theme is always a fun challenge) but it was also a chance to bring back some of my favorite characters from my Meri Allen Ice Cream Shop Mystery series: the Fairweather sisters. And writing a murder scene set in a graveyard? Priceless.

 

Another reason I enjoyed taking part? A fabulous line up of cozy mystery authors contributed to the anthology, serving up, as the publisher says, stories “perfect for curling up anytime you’re craving bite-sized mysteries with big personality.” Each of the authors — Leslie Budewitz, Karen Cantwell, Misha Crews, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Tina Kashian, Daphne Silver, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Rosalie Spielman, and Cathy Wiley — wrote their story starring the main character of their series. If you like their characters, more mystery and adventure awaits you in those books.

 

Murder in the Graveyard is available now. Enjoy it along with those fun-sized candy bars you stashed away on the shelf behind the canned vegetables.

 

What’s your favorite scary story or book? What’s your favorite Halloween treat?

 

Meri Allen is the pen name of Shari Randall, author of not only the Ice Cream Shop Mysteries, but also the Agatha Award-winning Lobster Shack mystery series. She loves a good spooky story, and her favorite Halloween candy is Smarties and Milky Way bars.